IATV schedule gets makeover
Cable network changes programming slate
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As part of the change, IATV (formerly known as ImaginAsian) has acquired theatricals from Sony and MGM, as well as top anime series titles from Bandai Entertainment.
Also set to launch is a TV version of "The Minisode Network," the five-minute cutdowns of popular '70s series that Sony has been running on its Crackle online programming site.
IATV's makeover is taking place virtually overnight. IA Media prexy Adam Ware, who joined the network earlier this month, will begin transforming its lineup the week of June 30.
Ware said he believed the timing was right to take advantage of an increased interest in Japanese TV at the major nets (as reflected in ABC's "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" and Fox's "Hole in the Wall"). The popularity of anime and Asian-style action films further inspired the change.
"You look at all of these influences, and it's pretty straightforward," Ware said. "It's not about bringing in dramas from China with subtitles or Vietnamese news anymore. It's about trying to capture the Asian pop culture influence in the U.S. It's an element of urban youth culture."
IATV has set up five themed nights of programming to roll out this summer, starting June 30 with a "Good Movie Night" on Mondays. Titles include "Mississippi Masala," "Golden Gate" and "Eat Drink Man Woman."
Net will shift to action and kung fu pics on Tuesdays with its "Chix Kix Flix" movie night, paired with the mixed-martial-arts series "Pancrase."
Bandai will provide IA's Wednesday-night programs, including the anime hits "Mai Hime" and "Ghost Slayers Ayashi," as well as live-action series "The Great Horror Family" and "Bloodhound."
Channel has also acquired runs of "Banzai," the U.K.'s Japanese TV spoof that has run here on Fox, Comedy Central and Spike TV; that show will run on Thursdays along with 1960s Japanese series "Johnny Sokko" and "The Minisode Network."
For "Minisode Network," Sony will cut original segs not seen on Crackle for the channel. Episodes of "Charlie's Angels," "Fantasy Island," "T.J. Hooker" and "Starsky and Hutch" will be edited down to five-minute bites.
"I kept having this vision of if you went into (hip Asian-themed store) Giant Robot, which has all these little, miniaturized toys, what the TV equivalent would be," Ware said. "It's these five-minute episodes."
New series running Thursdays include the original comedy "Uncle Morty's Dub Shack," the standup showcase "Comedy Zen" and clip show "The Popper," which Ware likens to E!'s "The Soup."
On Fridays IATV will showcase retro movies such as "Buckaroo Bonzai" and "Flash Gordon."
Primetime will kick off with the magazine shows "IALink" at 7 p.m. and "Pacific Fusion" at 7:30.
IA Media is also looking to make over its online presence, expanding its IARadio site, evolving its IALink site to make it more of an Internet community and putting more resources into its "Uncle Morty's Dub Shack" site.
In targeting young, English-speaking Asian-Americans and fans of Asian pop culture, Ware said he hopes he'll succeed where Comcast's recently shuttered AZN, as well as IATV so far, have come short.
"The problem IA had was they didn't quite get who their target audience was," Ware said. "In reality, 80% of Asian-Americans speak English. Everybody was playing into a narrow point of view. To me, there's such a fertile ground creatively, it's inherent in us to take chances."
